Session 16 Summary

General Summary

We resumed at Trollskull Manor before lunch time on the day of the explosion. Having learned where the bodies of the deceased were being kept, the party was able, on their second attempt, to dispatch a raven to Savra, letting her know where and when to send the cleric she offered to help them speak with the dead.
The party then proceeded to the City Watch station and after meeting up with the aged and rumpled Sigmond Farcastle, began to plan out the questions they would ask through the two available spellcastings.
After deciding on a list, they entered the station and spoke with the constable on duty at the front desk, who initially required that they make an appointment to speak with the station’s captain. But when Lunchmoney was able to persuade the young officer about the urgency of their mission, he soon went to fetch the Captain directly.
Captain Edyra Valorne was initially standoffish and rejected the party’s efforts to gain access to the bodies. But when Sigmond started to object to the delay and mentioned Savra’s name, Hawthorne noticed a quick change in her demeanour. Horus then dropped a persuasion bomb when he mentioned how disappointed Savra was going to be, given that the party was there at her request. This proved more than sufficient to make Captain Valorne forgo standard procedure and allow the party access to the cellar, unescorted no less!
At the party’s direction, Sigmond cast the Speak with Dead spell on the gnome and the party was able to extract a number of interesting answers to their questions:

1. The gnome was headed to Trollskull Manor looking for them.
2. He was in possession of the Stone of Golorr, which he had stolen from the Xanathar Guild.
3. He was working for the Open Lord of Waterdeep, but not the current one, the former one - Lord Dagult Neverember.
4. He did not know anything about the figure on the rooftop.
5. He had heard about a party of adventurers who saved his liege’s son, and thought they could keep the stone safe while he escaped his pursuers.

A second spell was then cast on one of the deceased Zhentarim, from whom the party learned:

1. They were chasing the gnome.
2. They were hired to catch him.
3. He didn't recognize the name of the stone.
4. They work for a man named Urstal Floxin (who they assume is also dead).
5. His name is Bashekk Ortallis.

After parting ways with the exhausted Sigmond, they party decided to pay a visit to their friend Renaer at his estate. Renaer was delighted to see them and happy to help however he could. He was able to identify the crest on the letter to Frewn as belonging to the “Cassalanter” noble family. He also shared that if he was going to steal something like the Stone of Golorr, he might speak to an associate of his father, a gnome named Dalakhar. He’d actually been speaking to a few of the gnome’s friends lately, who said he’d been on a special and dangerous mission. He didn’t know too many details, but agreed to set up a meeting between the party and Dalakhar’s friends at a local bar called the Buxom Beauty on Rough Road not far from his estate.
After wishing Renaer well, the party headed back to the Manor to discuss their findings and decide on next steps.

Report Date

18 Oct 2024